The John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies was created to commemorate the late US senator whose life was dedicated to public service and education.

In the spirit of John Tower‘s commitment to educate and inspire a new generation of thoughtful leaders, the Tower Center seeks to bridge the gap between the world of ideas, scholarship and teaching, and the practice of politics. The primary mission of the Tower Center is to promote the study of politics and international affairs and to stimulate an interest in ethical public service among undergraduates. The Tower Center is an academic center where all parties and views are heard in a marketplace of ideas, and the Center will pursue its mission in a non partisan manner. See our informational brochure (.pdf)

The Tower Center regularly hosts major figures in public and international affairs for lectures, seminars and conferences.

The Tower Center Forum provides residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth region with access to prominent leaders and cutting-edge research, facilitating a scholarly exchange of perspectives and ideas in a nonpartisan, academic setting. Tower Center Forum members receive invitations to conferences, symposia, seminars and lectures with leaders, practitioners and experts in public and international affairs. Many of these events enable members to have access to today's power brokers, policy makers and top scholars in off-the-record briefings and private members-only events. See our informational brochure for the Forum (.pdf)

Empowering students to lead and serve is a top priority of the Tower Center, which serves as a crucial resource for undergraduate students across all majors and schools.

The Center draws on the Knowledge of professors, practitioners and scholars from variety of fields, enabling students to explore politics and policy from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Tower Center offers students numerous opportunities to gain valuable out-of-classroom experience through the Student Forum, John G. Tower Center Student Fellowships and the Tower Scholars Program.

Apply to be a Tower Scholar

The Tower Center and Dedman College have created a distinctive, multidisciplinary minor that will enable Tower Scholars to combine their academic major with experience in the real-world of public policy and international affairs through the Minor in Public Policy and International Affairs.

This exceptional course of study will bring policy practitioners into the classroom so students have the opportunity to learn both from full-time faculty who study policy and from visiting professors who craft it. Combining strong academic training in policy analysis with practical experience will teach students how to turn their ideas into actions, launching them into leadership roles on campus and in the public and private sectors after graduation.

The invitation-only minor is open to all majors across the schools, with admission based on a competitive application process. Click here to visit the Tower Scholars webpage.